That was kind of a bizarre game. The Lakers played so many possessions where it felt like a good possession, they moved well, rotated, kept with their man...etc. only to have it be a simple score by the end of it. It just seemed like they *were* doing a lot of the 'right' things, just not doing them quickly enough, not doing them in the right way.

And even after all of that porous and ineffective defense, they still were within striking distance most of the night and ultimately could have just as easily won if they had simply shot their normal %s.

Kobe played too much hero-ball, I am starting to think he is playing for his PPG more than for the team at times.

But Kobe wasn't the problem really, the problem was not converting on easy shots and not getting back-to-back stops... at all? I watched the whole game and I'm not sure I can remember it happening once really, most of the times the Lakers got the ball back because of a simple missed shot.

The big thing that hurts about this loss though is that if the Lakers can't beat teams like the Sixers at home, and if in the process of losing slip below .500 again, what does that say about their chances of even making the playoffs? We keep wanting to say it is like a given, that certain teams will start playing worse and we'll start playing better, but this team just can't seem to get above .500 and they continue to lose games against teams that realistically, a playoffs-bound team 'should' be able to put away.

The upcoming schedule is probably the toughest stretch of the year against many of the top teams, if the Lakers come out winning more than they lose out of that stretch, then I'll feel confident they make the playoffs, if they come out losing more than they win or worse, It's going to make it a lot harder. Which, I guess is appropriate since that's how the Lakers tend to lose most of their games this year, but being Right. There only to make some mistakes and have to crawl out of a deficit.

how can defense be the problem when THERE IS NO DEFENSE TO BEGIN WITH?

this team can't defend if their lives depended on it. i can't believe some of you actually think the offense needs improvement when there is no defense whatsoever. everytime they make a big shot to get back into the game, they allow an easy basket right away. pathetic

Lets Go Lakers wrote:Kobe is getting his at the expense of the team. Many times, Kobe is just on iso and guys aren't even moving cause they know they won't see the balll. Zero assists for Kobe. Damm shame.

You have THE PG out there to pass the ball. Not Kobe's fault. He actually shot well. Why people always want to blame Kobe when he scores and the rest of the team cannot. Really beyond Pau being useless and Dwight sucking badly I think the key was Holiday was able to contain Nash and that basically turned the Lakers into Kobe or bust.

Because he's getting his at the expense of the team, that's why. It's not good enough to just score if you can't make others around you better by attracting defenders and setting guys up. It's also a morale killer when one player domknates the ball so much. They are less likely to cut to the basket and move without the ball. Yes, i hold Kobe to a higher standard. Him just scoring is not enough. He has the abilty to set guys up and make them better.

"The first time I ever saw my uniform hanging in the locker I put it on right away, and it just felt like I was putting on golden armour. From that day forward, I just called it 'the golden armour', it just felt like there was something mystical and magical about it" - Kobe Bryant.

wcsoldier81 wrote:How come a veteran team can make so many mistakes in the clutch ? Metta and Kobe shots selections were so bad I thought they were trolling

Add Nash to that list too. He took an off-the-dribble 3 when we didn't really need one and then gave it to MWP to shoot another one. 3-22 from 3, down just 4, a minute to go, and we choose to take 3 after 3. OK then.

"The first time I ever saw my uniform hanging in the locker I put it on right away, and it just felt like I was putting on golden armour. From that day forward, I just called it 'the golden armour', it just felt like there was something mystical and magical about it" - Kobe Bryant.

Does anyone honestly think a team that can't get over .500, can't even beat an average team at home, I seriously going to win the championship? I want to believe but they're making it tough. Even this clown coach Dave Miller is mad right now, when you upset the master of disguise you have reached pathetic levels.

As much as Kobe's hero ball was annoying me did he really have any choice? Dwight, Pau were no shows. And Morris... nuff said. The fact is we also played horrendous defense so we deserved the embarrassing loss we received.

UCLA, Los Angeles, CA. Born and Raised. In Dr. Buss I Truss! THE ORIGINATOR OF: "Call It From Heaven Chick!" "To be removed if the Lakers make the playoffs." Well, I removed it for an hour and decided to put it back. I have to be honest.

totally saw this coming after New Years celebrations I'm sure from the players. no effort on D and didn't make there shots on O.

Dwight & Pau combined for 3 FG?! Team had 3 3-pointers total?!

pathetic. they shouldn't be paid for this game IMO.

Kobe...pass the damn ball. we get it you can score at age 34 over anyone. now pass the ball so you can WIN games. this offense and players need ball movement. Nash gotta run the offense at the end although tonight he looked off...dribble was very loose and was falling all over the place (maybe getting fouled but idk)

pathetic bs game. this team will be out first round if they even make the playoffs. I'm calling it now. Dwight is at the best hell be this whole season for us. he's not gunna get better. I see not improvement in his consistency and don't expect it this year. well see the realDwight for 1 game out of 10 and the rest will be this pathetic offensively.

Lets Go Lakers wrote:Kobe is getting his at the expense of the team. Many times, Kobe is just on iso and guys aren't even moving cause they know they won't see the balll. Zero assists for Kobe. Damm shame.

You have THE PG out there to pass the ball. Not Kobe's fault. He actually shot well. Why people always want to blame Kobe when he scores and the rest of the team cannot. Really beyond Pau being useless and Dwight sucking badly I think the key was Holiday was able to contain Nash and that basically turned the Lakers into Kobe or bust.

Because he's getting his at the expense of the team, that's why. It's not good enough to just score if you can't make others around you better by attracting defenders and setting guys up. It's also a morale killer when one player domknates the ball so much. They are less likely to cut to the basket and move without the ball. Yes, i hold Kobe to a higher standard. Him just scoring is not enough. He has the abilty to set guys up and make them better.

C'mon nobody was making a shot. Pau and Howard were useless. Metta had only one brief stretch. Nash wasn't hitting down the stretch. Kobe was not the problem here. Some guys need to work harder in the game. Even when Kobe gave the ball up the gave it back to him to force up a shot. This team isn't very good and for those that haven't watched Kobe the past 16 years he is a SG not a PG.

D'Antoni is already bothering me in the post game presser. He's blaming our missed layups on the offensive end, he doesn't seem to have a problem with our unreliable defense...

UCLA, Los Angeles, CA. Born and Raised. In Dr. Buss I Truss! THE ORIGINATOR OF: "Call It From Heaven Chick!" "To be removed if the Lakers make the playoffs." Well, I removed it for an hour and decided to put it back. I have to be honest.

Weezy wrote:Does anyone honestly think a team that can't get over .500, can't even beat an average team at home, I seriously going to win the championship? I want to believe but they're making it tough. Even this clown coach Dave Miller is mad right now, when you upset the master of disguise you have reached pathetic levels.

Forget about winning a title ... it's about preventing to be the biggest embarassement in sports history by missing the playoffs ... which at this point is probable

Tough loss because this was really avoidable. We did not meet the other team's energy at all. Not sure if these guys partied too hard or what? I also thought D' Antoni's short rotation didn't help anything. Play Hill more, play Meeks more, play Jamison, especially if the bigs are sucking. If there was ever a game to bring Jamison back it was this one.

But most of all it was our guys not bringing it when they needed to. No defensive stops when we needed them. Some bad O and some bad D. They shot extremely well, we shot like crap for the most part. But at some point you just have to stop the other team. We seem incapable of that somehow.

its not in the final minutes...its the whole game from kobe. the offense relies on ball movement and when kobe isnt passing AT ALL then the offense becomes worse adn then were down in the final minutes where as if he was passing from the beginning we may have had a better offense down the stretch. it only improves our chances and decreases it heavily when he doesnt.

Dantoni was stupid not to play Jamison tonight for Pau and even more stupid for not playing Hill to finish the game. what did Pau do that Hill didn't in the final minutes. get a open dunk blocked...not close out on hawes who was balling from midrange tonight...set a soft screen...not grab a rebound?